Think About It

I will try not to bore you with all the thoughts and experiences of the last several days, but I did want to mention a couple of things.   First, thank you to everyone who encouraged me and our family during my stay in the hospital.   Your words of kindness and encouragement meant (and continue to mean) a lot to us! Also, as I look back on my surgery, one of the things seems to stand out to me is the peace I felt going into it.   I am sure that a part of my relaxation had to do with how quickly they pumped the drugs into me, but I am mindful of another moment that set the tone.   In my pre-op visit with my surgeon I asked him if he saw anything in my situation that caused him concern – to which he responded that he did over 200 of these surgeries in the past year, he wasn’t worried!   I can’t tell you how relieved I was to hear this.   His history produced a trust for me that made the whole experience much more peaceful. As I thought about this little exchange with my doctor it go

I was reading John 14 the other day and saw something that I had never really noticed before.   Now, I have to tell you that I have John 14:1-3 on several occasions, including at a lot of funerals, but never really felt comfortable with its continuity.   No, the issue wasn’t with the message Jesus was providing, rather it was in the way it was written in English – it just didn’t “flow” very smoothly.   As I was trying to wrap my mind around the grammar of the verse, I was struck by something even more important.   When Jesus was preparing His disciples for His departure He said, “ In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.” (John 14:2).   As I looked at this verse from a bit of a different perspective I noticed that Jesus was not only promising hope for the future, but also staking His reputation on the truthfulness of His claims.   He was not a dreamer, He was not a charlatan, He was being upfront and